After less than a year, the General Manager of the Cleveland Browns, George Kokinis, was dismissed on Monday by the team's owner Randy Lerner. Mr. Lerner was forced to find a cause for dismissal after Kokinis refused to resign, citing that Kokinis failed to accomplish the specific standards of his contract. Lerner is now looking for evidence to build a case against him. The initial statement indicates that Kokinis was fired and that he was escorted out of the facilities. It is still unknown if both parties are negotiating a financial settlement since Lerner made his announcement. "The highest priority that I have is a strong, credible, serious leader within the building to guide decisions in a far more conspicuous, open transparent way," Lerner said Sunday. "I can maybe defend decisions by saying I've sought advice and I've brought people in, and we've gone to see people -- and I think my highest priority is to have a stable figure that represents the voice that explains the decisions." He made the statementt after independently investigating Kokinis' personal and professional issues as well as Coach Mangini's and the director of football operations, Erin O'Brien's. O'Brien had left the team recently.

The investigation apparently took place because of the bad start that the Browns had experienced this season, a 1-7 record. The conversations between the two sides started before last Sunday's humiliating loss against the Giants 30-6. Now the question is what is going to happen with Coach Erik Mangini since Kokinis was a close friend; nor do Mangini's prospects look good, as the two other persons that were investigated are out of the organization already. Sources indicate that Mangini had already spoken with Lerner and that Lerner told him that his job and position in the team are safe for now. His intention is to improve the team and that is why he brought in former quarterback, Bernie Kosar, as a consultant. Kokinis was originally brought to the Cleveland Browns in January after the team hired Coach Eric Mangini to change the team, but after the terrible season start, the team has been very unstable. Lerner stated last Sunday that he was sick of losing games but he was not going to make a change on the coaching staff for now.

Lerner added that he wanted to give a true leader to the team when he hired Kokinis back in January, but Kokinis was unable to fulfill the role. Mangini was the one who picked Kokinis as a General Manager; the two started their careers together in Cleveland in early 90's. Mangini still a good friend of Kokinis and has refused to make any statements about his friend's dismissal. The only thing that Mangini is willing to express is that he respects the decision of the team to move ahead without Kokinis, even if it was a difficult situation. He also added that he wished the best for Kokinis and his family. Kokinis had 18 years of experience with the NFL, and had a minor roll as the Browns General Manager, even when Lerner wanted him to have a more involved role with the team. Mangini also stated that he will stay with the team until the end; he said that everything is a process and that he wishes to stay there and see the team improve in what it has left of the season.

Published at www.liverpoolfchk.com